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Ashelia Saint Claire
History Born to a semi affluent family in Luperion, Ashelia had a fairly good life. When her abilities started to manifest her parents realized they had somehow given birth to something that only looked human. At the age of 2, her parents gave birth to another little girl, Juliette, and after that her parents started treating her differently, almost disgusted but more indifferent. Ashelia wondered what she had done, but didn't think into it too much. Most of the people in Luperion didn't seem to treat her any differently, so she just assumed she was always doing something wrong. On some of her more depressing days, Ashelia would feel a comforting aura within her, but being rather young, she didn't know what it was. Over the years the presence kept Ashe cheerful, as well as her little sister. The two were quite close, despite their parents disapproving behavior. Being the only real friend she had, Ashe always got in trouble for her, taking the blame for her little sisters mistakes in order to protect her, whether it was needed or not. Ashe was always taught that anything other than human is less. This was the norm in Luperion, but her parents took it to an extreme. As she got older she figured out that this was the cause of her parents disdain. She wasn't human, though she looked it for the most part, her outsider heritage had manifested showing her for what she was. While most would see this as a boon, her parents saw it as a stain on their honor. When she reached the age of 11, her parent's sold her to a low ranking officer in Luperion's military paraded as an arranged marriage. Ashelia knew it was to get rid of her, but she was okay with that. She didn't blame her parents for the way they treated her, even though she knew it was wrong. It's how they were raised. All she could do was hope that her new life would be a better one. When she got to her new home in Daleah, since her parent's wanted her gone, they didn't bother waiting for the wedding to let her go. Feeling very out of place, for she knew no one and didn't know the area at all, the displaced girl spent much of her time hiding away inside. Ashelia's soon to be husband treated her fairly well despite the nature of his work and the stress he dealt with daily. Counting her blessings that the man wasn't a monster, she took to reading to pass the time, always in the comfort of the strange feeling that was always with her. After about a year or so she was taken out on a hunting trip with her betrothed, she never found out why though she suspected it was because of her reclusive nature. An attempt to make her feel at home as it were. They were attacked by a band of orcs during the trip and everyone was slaughtered in the carnage Ashelia took cover to avoid being found and because she was too injured to attempt to flee. When the orc's were scavenging through the corpses, an older looking happened upon her and for some reason, left her their. It wasn't in a malicious way, as if to leave her to die, the look he gave her was almost of concern. This event completely changed the way Ashelia view's every living thing. No longer believing the stereotypes instilled into her all her life, she decides to try and give everyone a chance. With grievous wounds, she loses conciousness. Ashelia wake's to a rocking motion and the smell of salt in the air. She is greeted by a seemingly eldery elf. It's hard to tell with them because of how long they retain their youthful appearance, something they had in common. She spent the next years of her life in the city of An'doril under the care of the man, who's name was Gaelin Aeberos, assisting him with his work as a scholar. She had a natural talent for diplomacy, retaining most of what she learned, and the performing arts, something that was noticed very quickly by her new parent. He taught her the ways of the bard and how to manifest her latent magic. Just before her 18th birthday, she decided to become an adventurer and spent some time preparing for it. The years of reading old tomes had given her plenty of knowledge that most would be jealous of, one thing in particular she learned about was the presence that had always given her hope. With the war going on she felt this was the best place to write some stories, hone her skills, maybe meet some friends and try to find information on the presence that had helped her all through her life. First Steps Upon her arrival in Haven, Ashelia took up residence in the temple of Sarenrae. She would spend her mornings helping the staff with sorting the books in the library, or the occasional care of the people staying there temporarily. The days went on as one would think they would for a fresh adventurer, taking any job that would come up that didn't seem to dangerous as well as getting to know the people and area. This continued for a couple week's until she started to make friends and get close to people, especially two in particular. Upon meeting the magician Haris and his little companion Doll, they became fast friends, rarely going more than a day or two without seeing each other. With the war going on and her inexperience obvious, the two took it upon themselves to help Ashelia train and prepare for actual combat. Over time their relationship developed into something more, causing the scholar to really self reflect and think about what was important to her. With Haris moving to another city to attend the magic academy, Ashe was forced to make a decision. Whether to stay in Haven and ultimately strain the developing relationship and likely grow apart, or to go with the two to Osirian. Having chosen to go to Osirian, Ashelia immediately began learning the customs and how things were done. Being situated in a massive desert, she quickly had to become accustomed to the heat as well. Over time the strange customs and behaviors of the people became normal for her, and she had begun to feel more at home here. Though she went back and forth from Haven every so often, Ashe spent most of her time in Osirian, specifically it's grand library. Not being a student at the academy Haris was attending, she would spend a lot of her time either in his room reading up on many subjects and doing her normal work as a scholar, or spend he day out with Doll when she wasn't at the library. After a while, and a string of little events leading up to it, an incident occurred at the academy, specifically the assassination attempt of the Headmaster Pegasus, which left the man gravely injured, though alive. Not soon after Haris, led by a cursed amulet which ended up being an outsider, broke into the headmasters office. Encouraged by the amulet, Haris drank a potion of the headmasters, which turned out to be Ambrosia. The effect of this was temporary insanity as his body and mind underwent a massive change, reshaping his abilities and also sparking Ashelia's desire to learn about the Tapestry. Once she learned what he had went through, and seen what he had seen, the damage was done. Where as Haris' had broken and reassembled with the knowledge it gained first hand, her secondhand accounting had caused her mind merely to fractured in order to compensate for learning what it had. Going Deeper Her days spent in Osirian after that were largely done in the Great Library, scouring over every page of text she was given permission to read. Months went by like this, her daily routine mostly consisting of wander the markets in the morning, talking with the merchants and orphans that wandered the streets, midday locking herself away within the halls of the library, some nights not making it back to her place to sleep. Ashelia spent a lot of her time researching how to recreate Ambrosia, to no avail. Even with the help of a magic library card, which she keeps on her at all times and suspect is some form of entity inhabiting the piece of parchment. Events with the Orc War were reaching a tipping point, and eventually she had to leave Osirian in order to assist with the war effort. Several more months passed, Ashelia spending the days assisting the war as best she could where she could, albeit with reservations. It wasn't that the war wasn't a threat, it wasn't what she had an interest in, or thought was the most pressing of issues. The Tapestry had surfaced in several spots, and threatened everything unbeknownst to most. One such incident was so bad that it drove a few of her companions that went with her into the depths of madness, only being brought back with reality bending magic. This however was the last time in a long while the Tapestry would surface. Not too long after this the town of Silverwatch was plunged into eternal darkness, the result of a ritual which bridged the material with the shadow plane. After several weeks and deadly skirmishes into the area, the citizens that remained, what few there were, had been saved and some information gathered. Eventually the ritual was reversed, the effects reversed, even if the damage persisted. The Orc War was reaching its apex, the culmination of all the melees and battles coming to a head. With one final push they assaulted the Pale King, the armies battling outside while the strongest of Havens forces battling the leadership in his keep. The battle was long and harrowing, with many of the most powerful beings on the planet coming to fight against one side or the other. Eventually the Pale King was defeated, and the war ended. The months that followed were peaceful, giving Ashelia and her lovers the time they needed to claim some land near the Targal Glades and start living their life in pursuit of their whims. There were many little trials and issues that cropped up, as people seemed to flock en mass to their little settlement, ones that were slowly worked out. She hadn't expected people to find the prospect of living under a musician and her entourage, no matter how skilled they were, to be appealing. As a result she simply ignored what was happening around her, convinced they'd get bored and go back to their original homes. This wasn't the case. The settlement continued to grow and became known as Prospero. Eventually a pair of Succubi that Haris had angered back in Osirian came to the town, determined to get revenge for the insults slung by the magi that day. The deaths of these two demons prompted a series of events that led Ashelia to finally accept her role and responsibility for the lives of those who flocked to her. Her research and gazing of the heavens had led her to a grand discovery, that of a new world named Shengming De Yaolan. Expeditions were being prepared by the various nations of Oustomia, and she had wanted desperately to travel to this new place. With everything going on and the dangers threatening her people, she had an idea. Simply deciding to leave, take the entire city with them, she worked to assist her Magister Haris in creating and preparing for a powerful ritual that would allow them to simply teleport the entire town to the new world. Everyone was scared and skeptical, except for those who were readying for the move. After many scouting trips to the new world and months of preparation, they were ready. With Haris finally getting the ritual underway, there was no turning back, and with the completion of said ritual, the entire town simply vanished from its place on Oustomia. Angel Reclaimed Not long into the move to Shengming, some information had come in about a fallen angel Ashelia and some of her friends were working hard to save. All throughout the Orc War Ashelia and a small group of Sarenites had been in a secret battle against a necromancer who had claimed an angel of Sarenrae as a fallen, an Erinyes named Jill. With her location finally discovered after so much time, Ashelia set out immediately with as many of her closest allies as she could in an attempt to save the poor soul once and for all. The group, consisting of Haris Wyrd, Eric Torigus, Ruuska Torrengust, Scharp Thompson and herself, made their way to the location they believed contained their target. It was an old ruin of Sarenrae, to add insult to injury, in the middle of seemingly nowhere. She had been commanded to stay and fight to the death, the necromancer having grown tired of the groups persistence in pursuing Jill, coupled with their few mildly successful attempts at converting her back had made Jill more hassle then she was worth. The battle that ensued wasn't long, but the destruction was massive. What remained standing of the building had mostly all been knocked down by the end, an Jill had exploded in a mass of bugs as the result of some curse meant to kill the survivors should the Erinyes failed. Ashelia had the thought that if all the bugs were to have been collected, Jill could in theory be pieced back together and her soul reclaimed, since as it was her essence was merely fragmented, not destroyed. So over the course of the next week, Ashelia and Eric, whom she suspected had fallen for Jill, gathered up every since insect. The remains were then taken to a high priest of Sarenrae whom saw fit to try and restore Jill to her previous form, after learning of everything. It was a this moment that Jill was accepted back into the Dawnflowers kingdom, and ascended to her plane. Temple of the Lightning 'Buddha' One area of interest that kept Ashelias attention was the Tapestry. So when anything resembling the Tapestry seemed to be taking place, the aasimar took it upon herself to investigate. Upon arrival it was discovered that the temple was either under attack or possession, perhaps both, from some unknown force. The group made their way through the temple, taking care not to kill to the best of their ability the monks within, a they were merely possessed. After a series of puzzle like investigations and proper spell work, the influence had been pushed back enough to warrant the main aggressors to attack. Three frightening beasts, twisted forms of a Havero, Jabberwock, and Cerberus, assaulted the group just as they believed they had finished. Each monster slain only empowered the others, but though some miracle they claimed victory. The spirit in charge of the shrine, a nearly deific like being that possessed a giant golden Buddha statue, offered everyone in the party a single wish as repayment for their selfless deed, and preservation of the life within as well as the temple itself. Despite being a creature of comforts and pleasures, Ashelia declined the offer. She had learned much and the trip had been worth it in it's own right. Surprised and mildly impressed by her selflessness, the statue made a vow instead to bring her back to life, should she ever fall. More than pleased with this arrangement, not expecting to have been given anything at all, Ashelia bid the statue and the rest of the party farewell. Quickly she gathered the three corpses of the tapestry beasts, an extremely onerous task in and of itself, and teleported back to her kingdom, where the bodies were hidden away for study. War and a Crusade With the fall of a meteorite, the world was plunged into a conflict it wasn't ready for. What made this worse was the fact that the Kuchiku, who were at war with the Chishiki, didn't seem to care about the threat that fell and continued to assail nations across the planet. Far from the conflict, Asheila and her nation, Saelenia, decided to tackle this new calamity head on. The mission was simple, prevent the Thii from spreading and consuming all sentient life until the Oni Emperor, leader of the Kuchiku named Jin Chishiki, could be defeated. After much preparation and building up of forces and defenses, they seemed to be having a fair margin of success in containing the aberrant threat. The other nations were doing well against the Kuchiku, despite the heavy losses they seemed to be gaining ground. With the Thii defenses and protocols in place, Ashelia decided to assist her closest allies where she could in the war effort. It was learned that the Oni Emperor had a special general for each of the heroes from Oustomia, which piqued her curiousity, who was hers? This would never be answered though, as the two never met in battle and in fact no mention of Ashelias 'counter' was heard. This lead Ashelia to believe that it was mostly just a front, though she didn't doubt the Oni Emperor had many powerful Generals under his command. Not long after this initial meeting of forces, the gods of the higher planes called a holy war, dubbed the 'Golden Crusade'. It seemed that too many evils had been allowed to slide, even if for the greater good, by champions of these deities. One such event was the Lich Mordred, who wasn't 'evil' in the traditional sense, being allowed to operate freely within O'kibos borders. Mordred as been able to acquire lichdom without giving up his humanity somehow, and as such was given the opportunity to prove himself. This led to him fighting the Lich Tar-Ghemet and doing everything he could to stop him. Too late though Mordred would be found incapable of the task, and the Lich set upon the holy city with a massive undead Kaiju and an even more impressive army of undead.The battle left with with the day won, mostly. The Lich and all of his forces were defeated, but most of O'kibos citizens were slain, the city itself all but destroyed. With reconstruction well underway, and a large portion of the population returned to life, the leaders of O'kibo took their remaining dead to the shrine of a powerful druid, Arryn, who had fallen in the battle. Their hope was that she would be able to bring the rest to life. A portion of their population had been risen as intelligent undead, a race known as Caylixians. They were also apart of the procession, hoping to also be changed back, or at least the leaders wanted this. With the appearance of a corrupted Arryn, and the Horseman of War, it was clear this would not be the case as Hikari had a choice to make. Slay the undead to bring them back, or turn them over to War. Knowing what his choice would be before even he did, Ashelia had begun spiriting the souls away to an undisclosed location, safe from rash action. An Emperor or Two Laid Low The war against Jin Chishiki, was long and arduous. Despite the many skirmishes that had taken place, the war didn't pick up in earnest until the assault on Reistara. The Daughters of Death, triplet daughters of Jin, attacked the capital with a sizable force intending for utter destruction. The allied nations of course responded in kind, sending the strongest fighters they had to curb this sudden brazen attack. They however were on the losing side of the engagement this time. With most of the heroes defeated, cast away, or retreated, Ashelia grabbed the last of them to stay, a young mage named Lilith, and made ready to flee. Right as this was happening, more returned, Hikari, Ruuska, Scharp, and J-hara were left to fight them alone. The battle continued getting worse, with the appearance of Jin himself all but sealing the victory for them. With terms of surrender given, and accepted, it seemed the war was lost. Hikari, the one who accepted the terms, had a plan though, one that never got to see fruition as the avatar of Sarenrae herself smote Jin, allowing the rest time to escape. A blow was dealt in turn however, as it turned out the Oni emperor possessed the god killing spear. Gouging the avatar deep, Sarenrae was weakened considerably, though not slain. Her followers also felt the fall in power while she spent her time recuperating in her home for a time. This act unified those who had doubts, Jin must be stopped. Not long after a meeting was called of the nations leaders, where an armistice was signed by those of the crusade to focus all war efforts on the treat of the Oni Emperor. The plan was fairly simple, gather up all the forces that could be mustered and strike their capital, hard. In the coming weeks, everyone was preparing. Despite being out of the war for the most part, Saelenia was also preparing. For the threat of the Thii remained, and it was discovered that they were marching across the frozen wastes to assault Hekai from the south. This was something that couldn't be allowed to happen. If the Thii consumed Hekai and gained their might, the rest of the world would soon fall afterwards. Soon the attack was underway, the armies of the allied nations engaged the Kuchiku forces in full, with one exception. Saelenias forces, a combined force of massive towering behemoths and stone soldiers, stood back, ever watchful for the Thii threat they believed to be on the march. The heroes pressed into the castle while the armies battled outside. Immediately noticeable was the lack of resistance. They traveled through the structure without seeing a single opponent, then they came across four large and powerful soul gems. These gems told the story of Jin and the fall of the Celestial Dragons in exacting detail. Immediately after this the Daughters of Death appeared, a veil being raised from the center that showed Jin in the midst of a ritual to combine the forms of a Malison and Mithril dragon. It was revealed that this was in order to wield the god killing spear without fear of destruction, for holding the weapon was enough to unmake a mortal. It was a this time that Tsuchimikado, the leader of the Chishiki and brother of Jin, appeared. He engaged his brother Jin in single combat, leaving the triplets for the heroes to fight. After defeating the Daughters, the heroes watched as the two brothers fought, content to do just that until the spear made its appearance. Without hesitation they acted, Hikari charging with support from his dragon Venus in an attempt to disarm Jin. Somehow this worked, and the spear lay on the floor. One hero tried to wield the spear but was instantly destroyed upon touching the object. Ashelia only had moments to act, and for the first time ever beseeched her goddess Desna for help, restoring the hero to life. Hikari, whether from confidence, bravery, stupidity, or more likely some mix of the three, snatched up the spear and drove it through the Oni Emperor, killing him and ending the war. The spear had been attempting to destroy Hikari, but had failed obviously as the paladin was just barely powerful enough to wield the weapon for but a moment. The spear was soon returned to the vault of Asmodeus where it belonged, and the world knew peace, or so they thought. With their dying breaths, the Daughters mocked the heroes, for they had been fooled by one of the Kuchiku. Kestillian Kuchiku, known to the hero's as Mango, was the leader of the Golden Empire. The nation of Pyrriah. Kestillian had spent his years planning his revenge against the Chishiki, whom he saw as the bad guys in the conflict. Catching everyone by surprise, his nation had built a giant moving machine of death and destruction, called the Cadmus. The Cadmus was for all intents and purposes a city on legs, and quickly made its way to Jiyu, the capital of the Chishiki. Desperate to stop the needless loss of life, Ashelia, Hikari, Juuna, and a few others made their way to the Cadmus to stop Kestillian. The ensuing fight was long, with Hikari being forced to kill his long time friend and trusted ally as he wouldn't relent in his desire to wipe out the Chishiki. The day wasn't won however, as the mighty walking fortress crashed into Jiyu, destroying it almost completely. This was the final blow to be dealt in the war, with both sides almost entirely wiped out. Ashelia couldn't help but wonder if they thought it was worth it, watching all their people die. Appearance Ashe is an unimposing person standing at only 5'0", although she is a little heavier than one would think at first glance. She has a toned athletic figure that makes her surprisingly solid for someone of her size. Her skin shines almost like porcelain from her many days spent out of the sunlight in libraries and other places of scholarly pursuits. Her long jet black hair is almost always adorned with some sort of jewelry, if it's not pulled back with a headband or ribbons. In the moonlight her hair shifts in color and appearance, looking like molten silver. Her face is rounded with soft features and eye's of such a deep green hue that they resemble emeralds. After a while Ashelia underwent a transformation of sorts, as was relatively common amongst her kind. Growing under the skin of her back for a couple weeks were her wing's. Quite large with white feathers, when they finally came in there were a couple other curious changes. Under the moonlight her hair color changes from black to that of liquid silver. Finally, when she speaks, her voice has a mild, constant musical quality to it. Ashelia always wear's dresses and other girly type clothing and raiment's. Jewelry usually adorns a large portion of her exposed flesh, bracelets, necklaces, anklets and the like. Personality Ashelia tends to be a very energetic, cheerful, gentle, teenage girl. However she tends to be fearless and brave, sometimes bordering on reckless. She views honesty a bit loosely, seeing no issues with omitting facts or embellishing them a little whenever she feels is necessary. With people close to her she tries her best to never lie to them. She usually is very childish, rarely taking losing lightly, Ashelia tends to act like a drama queen in situations. She is quite aware of her cute appearance and feels no shame in exploiting it. She always tries to treat others with kindness, sometimes she is over affectionate to her friends which some see as especially odd considering her past. Ashe love all things cute, pretty, and/or adorable, people included, and is always doting on them or otherwise complimenting them, sometimes to their disapproval. Not always lustful in nature, her flirting and compliments tend to confuse and give people mixed, sometimes negative, feelings. After her mind split, voices and impressions of from her past lives rushed in to fill the cracks. She's still the same as she was, though now her extremes tend to be exaggerated as far as attitude goes. Constantly hearing voices in her head, the many versions of her past self, she tends to look distracted, her responses almost always flippant or playful sounding in nature, even if she's being serious. A hedonist at heart, Ashelia rarely does things she doesn't want to to unless it's for someone close to her. If pressured her typical response is to ignore and change the subject, or just leave altogether. Her initial reaction towards people tends to be friendly, though her pranks can come off as cruel or mean. Considering pretty much everyone a friend, very few ever really earning her ire, Ashelia is quick to try and entertain and amuse people with her antics, until it begins to bore her of course. Family Alessa Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire' - Daughter' "Alessa often places herself in dangerous situations in order to help those in need, placing far too much faith in her companions regarding her safety. The need to help others is strong with her." The aasimar says with a little smile, and a sigh as she gets lost in a random train of thought. - Alessa spent her childhood years at her mothers side, more so than the rest. While the other kids would run off to play as soon as they were able, Alessa stayed with Ashelia, preferring to play with her mother and whichever siblings chose to stick around for the time. Her grasp of magic was fairly weak for the longest time, her spells either fizzling out in her hand or blowing up in her face. Alessa didn't show much promise with a weapon either, being afraid to get hit forced her to run away most of the time. It wasn't until her later years, her early teens, that she started to show promise. She seemed to be be able to heal wounds with a touch, or a look, which wasn't particularly impressive by itself, but the severity of the wounds that could be mended was another thing entirely. One night while Alessa was experimenting with this magic, she opened a rift, a small green fox like animal crawled out of it. This happened several times, entirely by accident, when finally the creature communicated with Alessa, and began teaching her what she was doing and how to control it, along with her mother. Over the years she learned to call upon several other powerful beings, this form of summoning different than those of traditional conjurists which focused on individual creatures instead of swarms. Setting out into the world soon after she came of age, Alessa became something of a shepherd for the departed as an acting priest of Desna. Often confronted with questions as to why she did this, death wasn't really a part of Desna's teachings, Alessa almost always gives the response, "but how can it not be? Death is the final road we must all travel, and no one should be without a guide." Aliyah Mahzaata-Saint Claire - Daughter "She's so cute and adorable! I just know she'll be amazing at whatever she tries. I just wish she'd wear these pretty dresses more often..." Ashelia says energetically, holding up a little silk dress with a smile. - Conceived with Haris as the father not long after the Oni Emperor was defeated on Shengming, Aliyahs development, and Ashelias pregnancy with the child, was peculiar to say the least. Perhaps it was her own mastery of time, as little as it may be, or some other unknown force at work, but the pregnancy went by in roughly a mere two weeks. The conception and birth both curiously happened under lunar eclipses, the timing of the events very rare. The birth itself came as something of a surprise, and soon after Ashelia whisked the two of them away into a well hidden demi plane, along with her first born son, to raise the two in seclusion. Over the course of the years spent inside, it became immediately apparent that Aliyah was different. She grew quickly, learned faster, and developed her powers early. The child was moody, her attitude varying wildly, the reason unknown for a time. The demi plane worked off a different lunar cycle, which accounted for the cause going unnoticed for so long. Aliyah was tied to the moon in a very tangible way. Rather than being worried or upset by this fact, Ashelia was overjoyed, such a curious thing to have happen. Though she did worry and feel guilty, wondering if it would cause her little one trouble in life, knowing that she may have had something to do with it inadvertently. Rather then dwell on this possibility though, Ashelia spent the many years in the plane with her children raising them till they were old enough to look after themselves with some measure of competency, enjoying every second of the makeshift vacation from the problems of the outside world. Over the years Aliyah eventually stopped growing physically, a side effect of her oracle powers come manifest they were able to surmise. Eventually they had to return to the real world, and the three of them returned, where Aliyah was able to start her life for real. She had all the knowledge Ashelia was able to teach her in the time span, the proficiency with her abilities to grow and develop friendships, and the love and protection of her mother when it was needed. [[Alayna Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire|'Alayna Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire']]' - Daughter' "Little Alayna is always getting into trouble and messing around, can't blame her for wanting to have fun though can we?" - Alayna is her seventh born child and one of her more free spirited children. Showing an interest in the summoning arts at an early age, Ashelia took care to show her the proper ways to handle the art, as it was in her opinion one of the more dangerous crafts you could dabble in. The fruits of these teachings produced Alvena, an Eidolon that looked exactly like and acted fairly similarly to Alayna. The two became fast friends and partners, acting more like sisters than summoner and partner. This led Ashelia to eventually just consider Alvena one of her own as well, treating her as such and regarding her in every way like her child. Alayna spends a fair amount of time following after Rylan and his trouble making ways, enjoying pranks way more than one likely should. Unknown to most, Alayna along with the twins Rylan and Kaithen were conceived without Lucent's knowledge while he was in a comatose like state. To say he was surprised when he met these children is a massive understatement. Ava Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire' - Daughter' "Ava is a lot more like me then she thinks she is, though she seems to have gotten her 'smarts' from her father." Ashelia says with a teasing sounding tone of voice, giggling as she finishes speaking. - Ava is Ashelias third child, conceived with Hikari Shiro. Every bit as beautiful and musically inclined as her mother, Ava took quickly to her teachings and hung onto nearly every word as Ashelia raised her in her favorite demi-plane. It quickly became apparent though that her real talent lay in a more direct form of combat, and her fascination with dragons helped to nurture this. Her father is a famous dragon rider, and with Ava wanting to follow more in his foot steps, it was arranged for her to meet and hopefully form a bond with one of Saelenias silver dragons. This went off perfectly, Ava becoming attached to her new friend Europa. Ashelia holds a close relationship with Ava, the two nearly always at ease around each other and able to enjoy each others company easily. Of all her children, probably due to Ava's father, she is by far the most serious. Ava has grown to be a fairly serious adult, keeping up appearances when operating in an official capacity and always doing her best to represent her parents properly. This doesn't mean she isn't a pleasant person, in fact quite the opposite, she just tries harder than most of her other family members to appear 'formal'. Gaelin Aeberos - Adoptive Father "This man literally saved my life. He is the parent I should've had and nothing I can ever do will be enough to repay him." - Gaelin was born Desnus the third in the seven hundredth and forty seventh year. He resides in An'doril and is a scholarly man who spends his work days pouring over old tomes of the cities history, keeping records of just about everything for the government and safeguarding the knowledge within. His other work consists of teaching and guiding those in the bardic arts. Gaelin is a man of simple pleasures, enjoying a simple story in his downtime, a walk through the surrounding woods, a well made meal. He's not a difficult man to please, always willing to listen and help those who seek it, only ever getting angry or upset when people are disrespectful or destructive of his property. In the early spring of year nine hundred and ninety four, he took a trip to the kingdom of Amaria in order to acquire some of their texts, as well as traveling their country side in search of rare plants for research purposes. It was near the end of his trip that he came across a grisly sight in the Savage Jungle while searching for rare plants native to the area. Strewn about a river bank in the Savage Jungle, bodies of many Luperion soldiers lay butchered. Upon closer inspection it turned out to simply be a hunting party, an officer with a small contingent of men had gone out with squires for a hunt. They had been set upon by a band of orcs, killed, then robbed. Every body had been stripped of anything of any value, horses that weren't slain presumably taken as well. Among the carnage however lay a girl, very near death but somehow holding on, pinned underneath a dead horse. Gaelin immediately set to save the small girl, having a decent aptitude in the healing arts, he was able to stabilize her and keep her from succumbing. Gaelin had a choice to make, one he thought about the entire ride back to Luperion. Delay his return and try to find the girls next of kin, if she had any, or just take her with him and raise her. Ultimately he decided to raise the girl, booking passage on a ship back for the two. It was a long voyage, and the girls condition worsened for a while, fever setting in. Gaelin did everything he could for her, and after a couple weeks her fever broke and she regained consciousness. Finally able to talk to her, he learned that her name was Ashelia Saint Claire and he had come across her betrothed and their hunting group. It became quickly evident that she didn't want to return home, though the reason wouldn't be known for a while as she refused to talk about it and became rather morose every time it was brought up. He spent the next six years raising Ashelia from his home in An'doril. Often taking her with him to his library, though it was actually the cities and not his, Ashelia just says it's his, she quickly became enamored with books and stories. Gaelin quickly took note of her talents, the girl constantly singing or humming as she went about the library helping. After this he decided to teach her everything he knew about the bardic arts and magic, channeling her raw energies into something usable. This continued up until she left to go adventuring, where he now spends his days doing much of the same as before he found the girl, though he tends to leave the city a lot less often now. Iskander Saint Claire - 'Son' "Iskander is my first child. Strong, kind, smarter than he knows, pigheaded at times. He's just like his parents." Ashelia says pleasantly, laughing softly at her own words. - Ashelia's first born and acting heir to the Saelenian Empire, Iskander has spent many sleepless nights having lessons of all sorts drilled into him. Curiously though, Ashelia isn't the one to press so many lessons onto the little lordling. His other parent, a woman who goes simply by 'Doll', is to blame for the strict classes. Likely to Doll's aggravation, Ashelia tries to play the role of enabler and distraction, stealing him away from his studies for more entertaining activities. Iskander has taken to his duties rather well in her opinion, and always has others in mind which goes a long way with garnering the love of the people. Juliette Saint Claire - Sister "I've missed my sister so much, I... didn't expect to see her again, definitely not on such good terms also... Juliette is one of the kindest people I know. Well, once you get past the rough exterior anyways!" - Having lost contact with her sister at such a young age, and with the way her parents treated her, Ashelia didn't believe that she'd ever get to see Juliette again. If she did, it wouldn't go well, their parents likely would've either denied she existed or told Juliette things to make her despise Ashelia. At least that's what she thought, surprised one day to find her sister waiting in her room one day. Instantly recognizing Juliette, despite the radically changed hair color, and obviously the years of separation in which they were apart and grew. Juliette had come seeking reconciliation, driven by feelings of guilt and shame for her perceived part in the abandonment of Ashelia. Juliette quickly pledged her life and sword to protect her older sister. She didn't return to Luperion for years, only doing so after being convinced by Ashelia to at least let their parents know that she was okay. Refusing to listen to Ashelia, who insists that she isn't her body guard, she spends her days drilling members of the Royal Guard and keeping close to the Empress. The two are extremely close, Juliette finally starting to relax after so many years with the bubbly and energetic scholar, and spend a fair amount of time together relaxing and doing leisurely activities. Kaithen Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire - 'Son' "Hopelessly dour that one," Ashelia replies with a small chuckle, shaking her head a little. "Kaithen is very duty focused and driven. I blame his father. He has a good heart though, and seems to take jests in stride, so it's a start." - Kaithen is the oldest twin, fifth born, child of Ashelia born alongside Rylan. He has a very singular focus on anything he does, allowing little to distract him from his current task at hand most of the time. Raising him, she was quick to pick up on his natural gift for swordsmanship, and decided to teach him the basics. Once he had become of age, Ashelia sent him off to a more practiced and experienced teacher in order for him to hone his skill and find the style that fit him best. [[Rylan Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire|'Rylan Schwarzejäger-Saint Claire']]' - 'Son'' Puffing out her cheeks, Ashelia exhales slowly before answering with her usual little smile. "That boy is too smart for his own good, something we have in common I'm told. An adventurous soul if there ever was one." - Sixth born child of Ashelia and younger twin to Kaithen, Rylan is probably the child that takes after her the most. Choosing to believe he is generally good natured, despite Rylan's 'pranks' often going too far, Ashelia spent many days teaching him the finer points of magic and how best to utilize it with minimum effort required. He took to these lessons well, and despite what she feels is a lack of respect for the power magic wields, she is proud of the proficiency he has obtained. Friends [[Aurora|'Aurora']] "This poor thing just wandered out of the woods one day... at least that's what I thought at first. She's the only other one of our kind that I know of. She's... precious to me." There's a little smile on Ashelias face as she talks about Aurora, her feet kicking in the air idly. - After settling near the Targal Glades, this little girl wandered out of the forest after a couple weeks and strolled through the towns streets. As a dream dragon, she caught the eye and interest of Ashelia. Being so rare, as dream creatures were, Ashe decided to try and persuade her to stick around so they could be friends, and to keep her safe. When it became apparent that, either out of interest or some other unknown reason, that Aurora wasn't leaving, Ashelia offered her the position of Royal Consort, one of the highest possible positions available. This would help to ensure not only her safety, but also hopefully give her a sense of importance and solidify her decision to stay. Ultimately Aurora elected to stick around, and so when they went to Shengming, the two became fast friends. After much time together and helping each other grow and become stronger, the two have become fairly close. Aurora still has this cold outer shell to protect herself, but Ashelia has slowly been getting her to open up more and more. The girls innocence and naivete always brings a smile to the Aasimars face, though sometimes she worries it'll get her hurt or into danger. Doll An intense look of endearment and joy forms on Ashelias face, "Doll...? I love her more than she'll ever know." - The two at the Twin Dragon's tavern in Haven and right away Ashelia was smitten with Doll. This is due in part to Dolls personality, and unknown to most, partially because of her inherent creepiness which she finds adorably irresistible. Ashelia is very protective of Doll. Despite believing that Doll is stronger than her, and doesn't try to hide this fact. Doll has stark white hair, which well cared for and exquisite. She stands barely over two and a half feet tall and looks so eerily similar to an actual porcelain doll that she can easily pass as one, which only adds to her mystique and adorableness in Ashelias opinion. Despite Dolls small stature, her body is very mature and developed. The two have been largely inseparable ever since they met, though at first this was obviously not the case. It took a little while for the trust and relationship to grow, which was in no way difficult or slowed by any trial or difficulty. Whether due to mutual interests, a genuine love for one another, or some combination of a multitude of reasons, the relationship blossomed rather quickly. Doll had become a centerpiece in Ashelias life, always there, always around when needed, always kind and supportive. Their early days together were spent in the cities of Haven and Osirian, Doll sometimes being snuck into her room at the temple of Sarenrae in Haven, usually though they were in their mutual lovers room at the Summoning College in Osirian. Relatively new to fighting, being a glorified librarian and singer, Ashelia was lucky enough to also find a tutor in Doll on the subject. Surprisingly strong and, in her opinion, a tactical genius, Doll was able to quickly teach her the things that would become the foundation for her survival. With the end of the Third Orc War, they had, with others, founded a place to live which eventually was moved to a newly discovered world. Their days on this new land passed normally, as normally as they can for adventurers, her love for Doll only growing. This eventually led to Ashelia using a mix of charm, coercion, though this likely had zero effect on the shrewd Arshaen, and magic to bring to life their child, a male by the name of Iskandar. At this point, the only thing Ashelia fears in regards to Doll, and one of her only true terrors, is outliving Doll. Eric Torigus "Such a silly man, though his heart is in the right place. He's probably the most easy going Paladin I've ever met."- Ashelia met Eric early on in her adventuring career at the Twin Dragons in Haven, near the beginning of the Third Orc War. She enjoys teasing him, since he tends to fall for her little tricks easy enough and is pretty good spirited about it. His favorite food amusingly enough are carrots, though people assume he has them for his horse Walker. The two spent may months working together to redeem an Erinyes by the name of Jill. Once that entire ordeal was resolved, the paladin found himself without any real purpose, and while a paladin of Sarenrae, the prospect of doing menial duties for the church bored him immensely. Ashelia offered him a position in her kingdom, where he now serves faithfully as her Warden. His days are spent travelling the Kingdom of Saelenia, checking on everything, keeping the people safe, and lending the aid of his church whenever he can. Haris Mahzaata "He taught me so much when I first started adventuring... he's one of the brightest and most powerful people I know, I just wish he'd not try and shoulder everything on his own." - Ashelias first encounter with Haris was in an arena when she set out to be an adventurer. Afterwards, in the Twin Dragons, he explained to her what had happened during the arena match and some of how his magic worked. Ashelia was intrigued by him but only really invested herself emotionally into getting to know him more after she met Doll, and saw him as more then a pragmatist. The following months were spent in romance, Ashelia goign between Osirian, where Haris was a student at the conjuration college, and Haven where she lived. Having a fair amount of setbacks, they always fought through them and eventually were able to found Saelenia together. Ashelia think's that a lot of the problem's in his life are self inflicted, albeit unintentionally, and as such tries to help make his life better. [[Hikari Shiro|'Hikari Shiro']] Ashelia smiles, a blush forming on her face as she giggles. "This one... surprised me..." - The man once known as Bahl was largely a non factor in her life for a very long time. His exploits and accomplishments, good and bad, were well known to her, but at the time she was still mostly just a fledgling adventurer far beneath his skill. On top of it he was Amarian nobility, so she kept a pretty wide berth even before the man had become a Graveknight. It was well after the Orc War, and far into the exodus to Shengming De Yaolan that they started to have something of a relationship. Bahl the Graveknight had died at the hands of Scharp, and been reborn as Hikari Shiro, paladin of Iomadae. Their first encounter was a rather comical one all things considered. While bathing with her sister at Master Kenjis dojo in Sanctuary, Hikari and Kenji accidentally walked in on the pair, prompting laughs and teasing from Ashelia as she played shy, her sister hiding deep in the waters almost instantly. Over the course of many months the two started working together more and more, her immense knowledge and powerful magics obviously proving useful to the paladin. At some point without realizing it, the two became very close friends, Hikari for some reason putting up with her less than amiable qualities and finding her erratic behavior amusing, at least that's what she thinks. Why he trusts her is a mystery to Ashelia, but it's something she does her best not to ruin, though she's more likely to annoy him into hiding than losing the trust they share. After a while, Hikari did something that genuinely caught Ashelia off guard. During a pleasant evening out, after the fall of the Oni Emperor, the paladin confessed his feeling to her. Laughing it off at first, she assumed he was just messing with her, as she did to him so often. Not relenting, Hikari made it very obvious that he wasn't joking, the rest of the evening going very differently then she had thought it would. Since then the two have become very close, Ashelia now feeling confident enough to tell Hikari whatever comes to mind, where as before she'd try to sugar coat certain things. Kenji Ishiyama "Of all my friends, I think Kenji is probably the one I enjoy teasing the most. Though Ruby doesn't like my brand of teasing..."'' Ashelia says with a nervous chuckle, grinning shyly as she scratches her head.'' - Kenji is a Shengese man with drow blood, giving him a purple skinned appearance. Ashelia met the man around the time he opened his first Dojo in Haven. Finding him and his staff extremely likable, she started hanging around his Dojo unannounced. Randomly visiting to check up on him, she slowly developed a deep friendship with him, taking time to check on his well being and to visit him. Quickly becoming fast friends, at least from Ashelias point of view, Kenji became one of the more important people in her life. Whether he knows it or not, she often thinks about how he would handle any given situation that she's lost on. A master weapons smith, Kenji has become the only person Ashelia will go to when she needs something made. Any and all special jobs are given to him, as it's a perfect excuse to have tea and spend some time with the man she sort of views as a mentor. The gifts she's received from him over the years are treasured immensely, as they are reminders of the troubles his kindness and guidance has helped her through. Always welcomed, Ashelia secretly prays for the day Kenji decides to give her his sword and pledge himself to Saelenia and it's people, though she knows that is likely to never happen. Nicole 'Fortune' Bloise Paladin of Falayna, Ashelia met her on a trip to An'doril with her sister. After spending a large part of the day with her and learning of her friendship with Juliette, Ashe likes her well enough to consider Fortune on good terms. Mellisan "There's just something about Mellisan that I find entrancing. She thinks she's some sort of monster or outcast, but I don't see how someone so sweet and caring can be seen that way. She's pretty cute too."- A Tiefling that Ashelia met one day in the streets of Havens markets. After a few weeks she became pretty close friends with Mellisan, feeling the need to help make her life better. The more time they spent together the more Ashe became taken with her, eventually considering her like family. Mellisan's shy and reserved personality only encourages her to try and make her a little more outgoing, the awkwardness always bring a smile to her face. Mellisan came with them to Shengming, and now resides in the capital in her own home near the city center, working as an alchemist. Ashelia visits her often and spends time with her companion a fair bit, often dragging her to the castle to dress her up and force the Tiefling to relax. [[Pandora Arenthas|'Pandora Arenthas']] A blush forms on Ashelias face as she smiles, biting her lip for a few moments as she thinks in silence. "She is one of my brightest students, an extremely caring and loyal friend, and... a gorgeous and loving companion."- A talented harpist that Ashelia met under rather amusing circumstances. After the girl had basically snuck into her home, she was led to Ashelias private room by a friend of Ashelia. An avid and energetic fan, her outgoing and enthusiastic personality coupled with her adorable appearance quickly won her over. After another amusing incident in which Pandora proclaimed her desires to study under Ashelias tutelage, she has since become one of Ashelias most recent apprentices. Spending many days together in study, the two formed a relationship that most would consider taboo considering their professional relationship. Ashelia was one to never care about such things, and didn't deny the girl her feelings as they continued spending time together. Together with her other apprentice Rerinae, Rerinae Lutia After a pretty entertaining encounter in Jiyu, in which Rerinae tried to pass off falling at the end of a dance as part of the dance, Ashelia found herself curious about the bubbly blonde. Meeting her later at the grand opening of her Bardic College, along with Pandora, Rerinae performed another dance at the request of Ashelia. Her actions, helping Pandora with something chief among them, and performance that night spurred Ashe to offer her an apprenticeship along with Pandora. The three ended up spending the evening together relaxing after hiding away from the rest of the party. Ruuska Torrengust Paladin of Sarenrae, she has fought beside Ruuska and he has saved her life. Being an orc she feels a special connection to him; seeing as an orc saved her in her youth and also that Ruuska is like the pinnacle of Sarenrae's teachings as an 'evil' redeemed and even fighting in her name. Shaavari Paladin of Sarenrae, while not exactly friends yet, Ashe really liked the impression Shaavari left on her and want's to get to know her more. After spending a decent amount of time together and going out on jobs together they had become fairly close. She has since left, back to her homeland perhaps. Sharifa Yaminah Shabti woman Haris met in Osirian. Even though their relationship got off to a seemingly rocky start, Ashelia and Sharifa have become close friends. Ashelia finds herself constantly worrying about her friends deteriorating health, always keeping an eye on her. Valterria Moriko "I am pretty sure I know why she doesn't like me... I won't give up on her though, Valterria means more to me than she thinks she does." - A powerful sorcerer whom Ashelia finds very endearing and cute. Always extremely shy and quiet, Ashelia is fully aware of the girls feelings towards her. Despite this she always tries to help Valterria whenever she needs it, if asked, giving her a fairly wide berth otherwise. Valterria serves as the Councillor for Saelenia, a job she is quite good at despite her protests and concerns. Unsure of the best way to handle her, Ashelia has simply decided to be herself, hoping to win Valterria over with her natural charm and genuine acts of kindness and love. Her stubbornness and negative feelings are something Ashelia genuinely appreciates, for if she ever earns the girls love, she'll know it's honest. Enemies Gregory and Anna Saint Claire "Mother and father... I.. wish them well..."'' Ashelia says slowly, not looking up from the book she's reading'' - Her biological parents, despite her desire to give everyone a second chance and her tendency for forgiveness, she has nothing but disdain for her parents because of the way they treated her and sold her off like livestock. While she does hope that something fixes their relationship, she isn't about to hold her breath or take the first steps needed to do so. Most attempts to talk about her parents end before they begin, the Aasimar either ignoring the topic and changing the subject, or just simply leaving without a word. Morgan Blackthorne "She's really a good person! Morgan has just been hurt, she only needs friends..." - Morgan isn't an enemy in the normal sense, Ashelia met her in the Twin Dragon's tavern as well. Ashe enjoy's watching Morgan interact with Cynthia. Convinced that Morgan's poor attitude is not her true nature, Ashe seeks to try and make Morgan act just a little kinder, if only for her own benefit. Cynthia had turned up missing, with no trace to be found causing Morgan to fall into despair. Ashelia was able to talk Morgan down temporarily and formed a tentative friendship with conditions. She has since gone missing. Additional Information Category:Player Characters